Donaldson wins NL Comeback Player of Year Award

For the second year in a row, the Braves have a winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award. This time it's third baseman Josh Donaldson.

For a while, Josh Donaldson didn’t look like a very good acquisition for the Atlanta Braves.

In his first 62 games with the tomahawk across his chest, Donaldson hit .237 with only eight home runs and 25 RBI. That was on June 10, when Donaldson was brushed by a pitch from Pirates’ starter Joe Musgrove.

Something triggered Donaldson after that incident. In his final 93 games of the season, Donaldson hit .272 with 29 home runs and 69 RBI in 334 at bats. That gave Donaldson 37 home runs and 94 RBI for the entire season.

Those numbers were good enough to give Donaldson as the National League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. The award is voted on by MLB.com’s 30 team beat reporters. Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco won in the American League.

Donaldson had appeared in 52 games with the Blue Jays and Indians in 2018 dealing with issues with his calf and shoulder. He then signed a one-year, $23 million dollar contract with the Braves and helped lead the team to its second straight National League East division crown.

Donaldson is the third Braves player to win the award. Lefty reliever Jonny Venters won it a year ago, while Tim Hudson won the award in 2010.

Donaldson is a free agent. The Braves remain interested in bringing back the soon-to-be 34-year-old third baseman. The Rangers, Phillies, Nationals and Dodgers have also been linked to Donaldson.